


Ring, Mindless, Bait

by chesomnia



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Disturbing Themes, F/F, Gross
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:09:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chesomnia/pseuds/chesomnia
Summary: If Sooyoung wasn't so pretty, Jiwoo would have killed her too.





	Ring, Mindless, Bait

Jungeun has been missing for two days now. At least, Sooyoung thought it was two days. You see, Jungeun and Sooyoung had been friends for many years, but Jungeun’s father was a pharmacist, and had more lucrative business opportunities in the city. No matter how much Jungeun pleaded, her father would hear none of it, and her mother needed only to see the fine silks that were for sale around the potential pharmacy to make her decision. So, two years ago, on the evening before Jungeun would abandon the familiar town, Sooyoung snuck into her bedroom. Jungeun nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of a stranger in her room, but Sooyoung jumped away from her and into the sliver of moonlight that shone through the window just in time to illuminate her face. Jungeun fell back on her bed with a deep sigh of relief at the sight of her friend’s face. 

“What in God’s name are you doing here?” Jungeun whispered nervously. 

“I just...wanted to give you this. In private.” Sooyoung whispered gently, taking Jungeun’s hand in hers, and opening it. She placed a silver ring onto her palm, and closed her thin fingers around it. Jungeun looked down at her fist, then looked to Sooyoung in confusion. Sooyoung simply patted the blonde’s closed fist with a smile. “If you wear it on your left hand, your answer is ‘no’. If you wear it on your right hand, your answer is ‘yes’.” She whispered just as gently as before. 

“My answer…? To what?” She asked in confusion, running the thumb of her other hand over the top of Sooyoung’s.

“You’ll know in the morning, when you can see. There’s an inscription on the inside of the ring. You’ll know what it means, I promise.” Sooyoung took the hand which was on top of hers, and kissed it. “I’ll accept whatever you choose. Just remember that the left hand means ‘no’, and the right hand means ‘yes’. And don’t say a thing about this out loud. Just wear the ring.” She stood to leave, but Jungeun grabbed her wrist, dropping the ring in the process. 

“Don’t go.” She pleaded softly. Sooyoung chuckled softly, and picked the ring off the ground. 

“We’ll always be friends.” She held up the ring. “This just determines what ‘friends’ means.” She closed Jungeun’s hand around the ring again. “I’ll see you off in the morning. You know I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

In the morning, Jungeun was sure to wave to Sooyoung with her right hand.

They managed to send letters back and forth, until Jungeun stopped responding. Sooyoung worried that something may have happened to her blonde angel, but the next day, Jungeun showed up dressed in fine red silks atop a strong-looking white horse, with the silver ring adorning the middle finger of her right hand. The townspeople didn’t recognize her. Except for Sooyoung, of course. When their eyes met, Jungeun leapt from her horse and embraced her lover. Sooyoung’s dusty work dress tainted Jungeun’s rich silk, but neither of them cared. 

Every Wednesday, Jungeun would make the two-hour journey to her birthplace - to Sooyoung’s loving arms. She’d always arrive in the afternoon, and leave as soon as the sun began to set. Travelling at night was dangerous for a fine young lady like herself. Rumors of witches and wolves and terrifying wild boars had circulated around the farming town since they were children, and there was no shortage of evidence to support these rumors. Every creature from cows to chickens, and from dogs to barn cats, had been found in shreds at some point. The citizens never could agree on the cause, though. Heejin, the seamstress, would dismiss the town’s panic, insisting that it was just another pack of wolves. Jinsol, the fisherwoman, would shake her head in dismay. It was clearly a wild boar! Wolves wouldn’t just tear their prey apart and leave so much left uneaten. Only a wild boar would gore its foes in such a grotesque fashion. Kahei, the herbalist, would whisper to Sooyoung under Heejin and Jinsol’s argument. “It’s a witch,” she’d whisper, eyeing the fellow villagers cautiously. “It’s a warning from the witch.” 

Of course, Sooyoung would roll her eyes and refocus her attention on the shouting match between Heejin and Jinsol, and watch in amusement as the Lady of the town scolded them both, treating them both like children. She had been scolded by Lady Haseul before - both she and Jungeun had been scolded before. They could get a little carried away with their games of tag and hide-and-seek. Either way, Sooyoung knew firsthand how scary it could be on the receiving end of the Lady’s scoldings. 

  
  
  


Now, it’s Friday evening, and Jungeun is nowhere to be seen. 

“She’ll be here next week. I wouldn’t worry.” Haseul would say, giving Sooyoung a reassuring pat on her shoulder. 

“She probably fell off her horse. Maybe it got spooked.” Jinsol would shrug. “She’s probably fine, since her father is a pharmacist. Give her some time.” 

“Her horse might be injured. It takes two hours to get from here to the city, and that’s only if your horse is fast. That poor thing is probably exhausted from running around so often. Maybe she’ll be back next week.” Heejin would pout, feeling bad for the brilliant white horse. 

“As long as she got home before nightfall, she’s okay.” Kahei would insist. When Sooyoung dared to ask why nightfall was so important in Kahei’s mind, the older girl’s response would send chills down her spine. “The witch has been going after livestock for so long, it’s only natural that she’d graduate to humans at some point.” 

Sooyoung penned a letter to her love that Friday evening, and would send it in the morning. She poured her worries and affections into the paper, going so far as to leave a lipstick print on top of her signature. When morning came, she carefully put the letter, now sealed in an envelope addressed to her dearest Jungeun, in her mailbox for the postwoman to pick up. She watched that mailbox like a hawk, never looking away from it, until Hyunjin took the letter out and read the address, putting it amongst her letters destined for the city. 

“What’s with the look, Sooyoung?” Hyunjin asked with a chuckle, noticing how Sooyoung seemed to analyze her every movement. Sooyoung’s face flushed a bit, knowing that she’d been caught, but she quickly regained her composure. 

“The letter you just picked up is more important than you could ever know.” She spoke, pointing to Hyunjin’s bag. 

“Of course, it’s for Jungeun,” she leaned in close to whisper, “from her lover.” A sly smile decorated her feline-like features as she straightened herself back up. “I know you’re worried about her, but things happen. You know what? Tomorrow is my day off, and I’ll be staying in town. You can borrow my horse to go visit her.” 

“I love you.” Sooyoung nearly cried right there, and hugged Hyunjin as tightly as she possibly could. “I owe my life and future marriage to you.” Hyunjin burst out in laughter, patting Sooyoung’s back. 

“Of course, of course.” She chuckled, leaving Sooyoung’s embrace. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to keep doing my job, or I’ll be working on Sunday and you won’t be able to use my horse.” Sooyoung jumped away from Hyunjin as if the younger girl was made of fire. “Make sure you’re home before the moon rises.” 

“Of course! Now, go, go, go!” Sooyoung urged Hyunjin to hurry on with her work, so she could check on her betrothed as soon as possible. As Hyunjin hurried to the next farm to pick up and deliver mail, Sooyoung’s aunt called for her from the field behind their humble farmhouse. As soon as she heard her aunt’s call, Sooyoung turned and ran towards her, ready to assist in farm work as usual. She could only hope that Jungeun was alright; it was a two hour journey by horse, but she could only imagine how long it would take on her own two legs. She was fit, but she couldn’t run for that long. Even then, she’d never outrun a horse, so she’d be running for at least three hours, a nearly impossible feat. No matter how badly she wished to run to her beloved’s side, it would be too long and exhausting of a journey without a horse. 

She went by Haseul, Jinsol, Heejin, and Kahei’s houses after her farm work was done for the morning, asking the same questions she had asked for the past two days. The responses didn’t change. Not a bit. None of them even seemed concerned. There were tales of an illness in the north, and Sooyoung worried that the illness took hold of her beautiful lover’s fragile body. Or worse, she was killed by wolves or boars on her way back to the city from the town last week. Or a witch. Sooyoung shivered as she remembered Kahei’s answer; she said it so simply, so damn simply...it was a witch, obviously. She scoffed and, in true peasant farmer fashion, spat on the ground. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what such a vile wench might do to her beloved. They were loyal to the Devil himself. Jungeun had always attended church, and Sooyoung can’t believe that she’d stray from that lifestyle any time soon. She listened to her parents, did as she was told, and was kind to everyone. She could marry anyone, but she accepted her peasant childhood friend’s proposal over any wealthy suitor. That, if anything, should be enough to prove how pure Jungeun is. She’s sinless. 

Sooyoung sat on the dirt road in front of her family’s farmhouse, waiting for Hyunjin to come riding back into town on her horse. Sure, it was late, but she had to know if Hyunjin had at least seen Jungeun, or her parents, for that matter. Any news on the fate of her beloved wife-to-be would be more than enough to sustain her until morning. She was about to doze off when she heard the sound of trotting hooves. Sure enough, Hyunjin was on her horse, and they were making their way into town. Sooyoung was on her feet in an instant, and threw herself at Hyunjin and her horse. 

“Whoa, Bunny!” Hyunjin pulled on her horse’s reins to keep her front trampling Sooyoung. Bunny let out a defiant snort, but skidded to a stop. “Sooyoung, what in God’s name are you-”

“Did you see her?” She asked excitedly, clasping her hands together. 

“Jungeun?” Hyunjin sighed. “I didn’t see her. I didn’t see either of her parents either. Everyone seemed a bit odd, to be honest with you.” She shrugged, then continued as Sooyoung stared at her with pleading puppy-dog eyes. “Listen, news travels fast in the city, and rumors get started even quicker.”

“What are you saying? Just tell me!” Sooyoung demanded, growing angry. 

“Jungeun hasn’t been seen since last Wednesday.” Hyunjin sighed. She saw Sooyoung’s jaw drop, and she turned to run. “Wait! Hold it!” Hyunjin practically growled, stopping Sooyoung in her tracks and making her turn back around. “I’ve heard other things. I’ve heard a lot of different things. So breathe. I heard a couple people saying that she was in the city on Thursday morning. I overheard the barber saying that he saw her earlier in the day, and didn’t understand the fuss. One of the grocers said that she hadn’t seen Jungeun since last Monday, which isn’t anything to worry about, since we saw Jungeun last Wednesday. She was here. The only way I’d be able to get a definite answer would be to talk to her parents, but the pharmacy was closed, and their house was dark.” 

“You’ve got to be joking.” Sooyoung fell on her butt into the dirt road, and held her head in her hands. 

“Sooyoung, I’m sure you’ll see her tomorrow. No offense, but you’re a peasant. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb in the city.” Hyunjin chuckled, hopping off of her horse. “News will spread fast, and Jungeun will probably realize it’s you. Just stay around the pharmacy; it’s not hard to find, and she should be around anyways to grind herbs and help make medicines.” Sooyoung groaned, but her shoulders relaxed. 

“You’re right. I’ll see her tomorrow. She’ll do that cute laugh of hers and make fun of me for worrying so much.” She mumbled, trying to convince herself.

“I dunno if I’d call it cute…” Hyunjin laughed. “Anyways, get some sleep and give Bunny a pat. She’s your ride tomorrow, you know.” Sooyoung looked up at the horse. No offense to Hyunjin (or Bunny), but the horse was fairly plain: brown with a couple of white marks, and nothing remarkable about the mane, tail, or anything. She was too used to Jungeun’s bright white beast of a horse, she decided, and stood to give Bunny’s shoulder a pat. 

“Get a lot of sleep tonight, and make sure you eat well. Tomorrow’s another long day.” Sooyoung spoke with a gentle smile.

“Aww, thanks! I will!” Hyunjin grinned. 

“I was talking to Bunny.” Sooyoung chuckled, then patted Hyunjin’s shoulder as well. “But you too, I suppose.” 

After a yawn from Hyunjin, the pair decided to separate for the evening, and Sooyoung would come to get Bunny as soon as she had breakfast. Her younger sister, Hyejoo, agreed to take over her chores for the day, so she could get going as soon as possible. Sooyoung washed up as well as she could, though she still definitely looked like a farmer’s daughter. There was no helping it. She’d just wear her nicest dress tomorrow, and hope she didn’t stick out too badly. 

Of course, Sooyoung couldn’t sleep. How could she? She couldn’t be sure that Jungeun would even be alive. No matter how she tried to convince herself, she couldn’t lay her worries to rest. Leaving now would be suicide, though. Witch or no witch, no matter what was in those woods or along the long path into the city, thieves and wild animals would always be there. If Bunny got spooked and threw her off, she’d be at the mercy of everything in the area...wild animals weren’t known for their mercy, and there was a fair chance that the thieves would kill her. She looked out her window, gazing toward the stars and the moon. 

“Jungeun, please tell me you’re okay. We promised our lives to each other. I need you.” She sighed, and looked down onto the floor of her room. “We were going to run away together...we knew your parents would lose their minds if they knew about us. We were going to start our own farm, live off the land, and live as peasants. You were ready to give up your life of comfort, and I’m still prepared to work myself to the bone to provide you with as much comfort as possible. I told you I’d devote my entire being to you. I meant it. I still mean it.” She sniffled as tears pricked at her eyes, and kneeled on the ground, clasping her hands together in prayer. “Oh, powerful God, please watch over her. Please keep her safe. She’s your greatest creation...all we want is to be together. I will memorize the Bible forwards and backwards, and preach every word of it to every living soul, if I must. I am already forever in your debt, I know this, but I must beg of you. Please. Jungeun worships you with her entire soul, and I swear to do the same. I will never use your name in vain again. Please, God, powerful God, please take care of her and keep her safe. Please. Amen.” She sighed, letting her hands fall to her lap, shuddering as sobs wracked her thin frame. 

  
  
  


Sooyoung winced as she rose from the wooden floor. She really should’ve laid in her bed before crying herself to sleep, but there’s no going back now. She doesn’t want to go back, anyway. She’s awake, and the sun is almost totally visible. She runs into the main room and grabs a loaf of bread, scarfing down what she can, and drinking a bottle of milk from their cows. 

“Thanks, Moolan and Mooshu.” She whispered quietly, looking to the barn that housed the pair of cows, and ran out of her house toward Hyunjin’s house, where Bunny’s little stable was. To her joy, Bunny was already wearing a saddle and her bridle. All Sooyoung had to do was attach the reins and hop on her back. “Hi, Bunny. Please take good care of me. I’m not all that familiar with horses, so please forgive me if I act incorrectly.” She spoke hurriedly, attaching the reins to Bunny’s bridle, and walking to her side. She put one foot on the right stirrup, and hoisted her body onto the horse. Once she settled onto the seat of the saddle, her other foot settled on the left stirrup. Bunny trotted in place for a moment, adjusting for the extra weight from Sooyoung (although it wasn’t very much). “Are you ready?” She asked, patting the horse’s shoulder. After receiving no sign of hesitation from the horse, she nudged her belly with her heel, urging Bunny to start moving. Bunny walked out of the stable, and followed Sooyoung’s direction from the reins to leave the town and pick up speed. Sooyoung breathed a sigh of relief once they were out of the town and now on fields of wild plant life. They were on their way now. It was just a matter of time until they reached the city and Sooyoung could collapse in her lover’s arms. 

The sun finished its journey upwards, and Sooyoung was feeling the heat on her back. Bunny had to be feeling it, too, so Sooyoung slowed down and searched for a stream for the both of them to drink from. As soon as she heard the sound of running water, she urged Bunny to run in the direction of the sound. Running water was much cleaner and safer than stagnant water; this would be their best bet for fresh water. Surely enough, Sooyoung was glad to see that the water was clear. Clear enough to see the rocks at the bottom. Sooyoung hopped off of Bunny, and cupped her hands together, scooping up a bit of water and slurping it up. One rock was especially shiny, and Sooyoung couldn’t take her eyes off of it. She plunged her hand into the water, down to her elbow. She felt a bit of moss sticking to the stone; and shook the stone under the water to try to free it. It was no use. She pulled the stone out…

...and threw it onto the other side of the stream with a shriek. Bunny reared up on her back legs, but Sooyoung managed to comfort her, although she herself was hyperventilating. After a few deep breaths, Sooyoung hopped across the stream. She needed to see the stone again. Something pulled her toward it. Something strong. She saw light glinting off of an object in the grass: the rock. She closed her eyes tight as she picked it up. Still mossy. She opened her eyes. It wasn’t moss. She wished it was moss. She’d give her arm for it to be moss, but there was no mistaking it as she turned it over in her hand, wincing with disgust all the while. It wasn’t even a rock. 

It was a ring. 

Sooyoung’s eyes widened, and she felt adrenaline pump through her veins as she examined the ring more closely. Suddenly, the cold, damp, scraps of flesh weren’t so disgusting. 

“No…” She whispered to herself, gently cupping the ring and its extra pieces in her hands. She gently peeled the flesh off of the ring so she could see the inside of it. There’s no way...but her gut told her to be gentle with the flesh anyways. She read the bits of the inscription that she could see - bits of flesh were embedded in the carved words, and couldn’t be removed. She let out a scream unlike any scream she had ever heard before. It wasn’t human. It wasn’t even possible for an animal to make that noise. She collapsed into a heap of mindless sobbing and pleading, kissing the ring like a lunatic. She could hear Bunny running off, but who could care about that damn horse? Who could give a damn about anything?! 

She doesn’t know how she got the strength to stand on her own two feet, but she stumbled upstream. She didn’t know what she was hoping to find. Was she thinking she would find Jungeun alive? Simply missing a finger? Or an arm? Did she want the rest of her beloved’s corpse? What would she do upon finding it? What would she do if she didn’t find it? She didn’t know. She didn’t think. She just stumbled mindlessly, looking for her lover, until she saw red. A patch of red. She fell into the stream as she tried to grab it, and landed on the rock it was caught against. She didn’t utter a word. She didn’t even wince. She saw it fly downstream, and nearly drowned herself in her hurry to chase after it, slipping and falling into the shallow water over and over again. She hauled her body, now heavy with her soaked cotton dress, onto the grass again, and saw the patch of red clinging to another rock. Without hesitation, she crawled over on her hands and knees as fast as she could, clumsily knocking her limbs into one another. She grabbed the red. She ran it through her hands, then held it to her cheek. A choked sob shook her to her bones as she caressed the shred of red silk. 

“Jungeun…” She whimpered. “I’m coming, love.” She shivered, hugging the silk to her chest. “I’m on my way.” She staggered to her feet, panting for breath. “Soon. It’ll be you and I. Just like we promised.” She whispered, staggering and tripping further upstream, picking up every bit of red she saw. Even the smallest pieces that were comprised of more mud than the red silk that her beloved would wear were scooped up into her arms.

After tripping over fallen trees and falling into thorn bushes for God knows how long, she saw it. A big patch of red. Her eyes widened, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth. She clutched the armful of shredded red silk closer to her chest and tightened her right hand into a fist, feeling the ring that once adorned Jungeun’s slender finger now wrapped around her own. She panted like a dog, lips pulling into a smile as she drew closer and closer, seeing more silk. She broke into a run - more like a frantic jog where she kept falling over herself and tripping into the stream, but certainly faster than the speed she had been going for the past few hours. An outstretched arm laid on the ground, welcoming her closer. She closed her eyes and threw herself upon the pile of red. 

“Jungeun!” She screamed with joy, rubbing her face against the silk. The flesh underneath the silk, waterlogged and decaying, squelched under Sooyoung’s affections. Slimy liquid oozed from Jungeun’s lifeless bosom, dripping into Sooyoung’s hair. “I’m here. I’m here, now.” She managed to pull herself up off her lover’s soaked corpse, and looked into her empty eye sockets. Then, she looked to Jungeun’s right shoulder. Torn muscles and sinews rippled with the river’s water, but tethered themselves deep in her chest, determined to hold on. “It’s okay.” Sooyoung whispered, running her hand over the open wound and shooing away tiny fish in the process. She slid the ring off of her own finger, and gently placed it on the decaying right shoulder of her lover. “It’s okay.” She whispered again, settling back down on the silk that covered the maggot-infested flesh of her breast. 

“Wow.” A voice rang out. “You’re really pitiful, aren’t you?” Sooyoung didn’t even bother to look up. The owner of the voice sighed. “Guess I’ll have to deal with prettying you back up. If I didn’t know how beautiful you were, you’d be dog food, too.” Sooyoung only heard the sound of water splashing against their bodies. “Fuck my life...at least you took the bait.” The owner of the voice groaned, stomping towards Sooyoung as the mud squelched under her feet. She grabbed the back of the collar of Sooyoung’s dress, and lifted her front half from the mess that used to be her lover. Sooyoung scrambled frantically, grabbing and tearing at rotten flesh and water-logged silk, trying to pull herself back down to what she saw as Jungeun. With a loud splash, Sooyoung slammed back onto the corpse. “You better be worth it.” 

The woman, in little else than a black dress with a puffy skirt that hardly reached her knees, bit into the red strawberry she held in her hand as she watched her future servant snuggle the dank flesh of her ex-fiancée. Realizing that the poor black-haired woman in the stream would sooner starve to death than move even an ant’s worth of space from the once-pretty lady in red silks, she tossed the strawberry to the ground with a shrug. She bit into her finger, breaking the skin just enough for shining red blood to trickle out. Then, she knelt in the mud next to the mourning woman, and brushed her black hair from the nape of her neck (with the hand without an open wound, of course, since she had standards). Her bleeding finger traced out an intricate seal on Sooyoung’s neck. She pulled a shining knife from a hidden pocket in her corset, and plunged it deep into the middle of the seal she had drawn. With a fair bit of effort, she managed to pull the knife back out of Sooyoung’s neck. After spitting on her finger and shaking it to clean it off a bit, she backed up a bit from the motionless body, jumping up onto a fallen tree to sit down and wait for Sooyoung to breathe again.

“Good morning, dear. My name is Jiwoo. Would you tell me yours?” The woman in black asked sweetly, swinging her legs like an innocent child. Sooyoung staggered to her feet; the front of her dress now stained red, brown and shades of green. 

“I am called Ha Sooyoung, my lady.” Sooyoung spoke in a monotone voice. 

“Ah, I see.” Jiwoo tapped her chin with a smile. “I think we should call each other by nicknames. That’d be cute. You can call me Chuu from now on, and I’ll call you…” Her eyebrows scrunched together as she thought. “...Yves!” She squealed with delight. A smile crept across Sooyoung’s face as she looked up at Jiwoo. 

“I like it.” 

“Great!” Jiwoo clapped her hands together in excitement. “Let’s get you cleaned up, love. No offense, but uh...you smell.” 


End file.
